Cook's Corner: Endlessly adaptable opportunity

Design-to-Suit Cake Mix Cookies

Q: I lost a recipe for a chocolate cookie made with a devil’s food cake mix. Into the center of each ball of dough you seal a Junior Mint candy. They were absolutely delicious.

I don’t have that specific recipe, but I have a one-size-fits-all type of cookie recipe I’m sure can be made to work. It basically calls for a cake mix of any kind that you embellish to suit. You can add nuts, candy, chocolate or other flavor chips, dried fruit — the list is endless. You can also make a quick cookie with just a confectioners’ sugar sprinkle.

Combine the dry cake mix, egg, oil and ¼ cup water until well blended. Some mixes may need just a teaspoon or so more of water to make a dough that sticks together.

At this point you can either make plain cookies (drop by rounded teaspoonful onto prepared cookie sheets), fold in the cup of other ingredients and then drop onto the cookie sheets, or roll dough into 1-inch balls and insert a candy (Rolo, Junior Mint, etc) or a whole nut or maraschino cherry or the like. In each case, leave about 2 inches between cookies.

Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies are no longer shiny. (I would start checking at 8 minutes, since some candies may add so much sugar the dough will more easily burn.) Makes about four dozen cookies.

Q: I’m trying to find a recipe for General Tso’s Chicken that appeared in The Miami Herald some time ago. I’ve tried others but nothing matches that recipe. I made a big mistake by letting my granddaughter take my recipe home, and she let her 3-year-old get hold of it. If the recipe is still available, please let me know how I can get it.

A: A lot of Asian recipes have appeared in the column, but that one is not in our library’s database. We have to hope someone has saved and is willing to share. Dessert